Nerve Endings Firing Away

It truly is the case of India Shining when the local newspaper puts the story of a classic rebound on its front pages. It is not everyday that the AJC would prefer to highlight an issue halfway across the globe especially when the top news story that it can possibly boast of, is mostly that of outdated sewers and falling SAT scores. I guess the impact of the rebound of the Indian economy is tremendous and the reverberations are echoed even in the South hinterland. People are going home, not because of lack of jobs on this continent but for the abundance of jobs on the other continent. No longer is the option of going back home after a hastened graduation shameful or typical of a lost fight but reflective of renewed hope and promise that your future holds.

Americans are more respectful of Indians after the enlightening telecast of ’60 Minutes’ showcasing the Herculean task of getting admitted to the IITs. Imagine my expression when a fellow traveler on a local train remarks: “You, Indian? Boy, you must be smart.” No longer would they taunt you to go home because now they are afraid that we just might. The classic argument that even after the commensurable financial remuneration, the incentive to return home was repudiated by the incommensurability of standard of living no longer holds water. A walk down Gurgaon’s burgeoning shopping district is reflective of the growing power of the consumer and market-driven growth. Teen-boppers frequenting Baristas sipping Rs.50 beverages catching up on local gossip is a common sight.

Indians now can do the things in their own backyard that were once beamed into their homes through satellite television. No longer does an information or technological gap exist, or at least as glaring as in the recent past. But doesn’t this smack of imitation? We consider ourselves happy because we are doing the things that the people in the seemingly-prosperous nations are doing. But I think there is more to it than meets the eye. Is the talk of “gross national contentment” a truth or merely an advertising political slogan? I rather believe in the winds of change because it does seem to have a positive effect on the national mood and not all of it is attributable to our sporting performances Down Under.

You may not enjoy the infiltration of Americanism into your pristine cultural lifestyle but for all things new, there exists a period of experimentation. With new found prosperity, people are bound to indulge in a lifestyle that is likened with a higher plane of living but eventually contextuality creeps in. If I were in your place, I wouldn’t denounce the winds of change but rather accept them as a social process in flux. Things are bound to plateau out and an Indian city will not resemble another American sprawl in the long run. Our distinctly varied Indian values are going to shape the enhanced standard of living that we desire. I know not what it might look like but I am sure it will be nothing like we see elsewhere. Do not be troubled by the imitation of cheap cultural gimmicks but accept them as a process of redefining yourself. Bask in the light of national contentment.